1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a drum muting system which is mounted directly to a drum such that a muting element is maintained in direct contact with the outer surface of the drum head. The drum muting system provides a variable degree of muting which is obtained by selectively positioning the muting element relative to the outer surface of the drum head. The drum muting element muffles the natural sound produced by a drum when it is struck, thereby allowing the tone produced by the drum to be controlled.
2. Description of the Related Art
A standard drum set typically includes at least one bass drum. The bass drum is usually the largest drum in the set and also the drum producing the lowest pitched sound, thus its name. Other drums normally present in a standard drum set include a snare drum, and an assortment of tom tom drums which may either be mounted above the bass drum, or floor mounted adjacent the other drums. With the exception of the snare drum, the basic difference between these various drums is the diameter and length of their bodies.
Typically, bass drums have a drum head covering each open end of the drum body. Each head is attached by a hoop or rim which secures the drum head to the body. The rim typically includes a variety of xe2x80x98tuning keysxe2x80x99 which allow a drummer to adjust how tightly the drum head is stretched across the open end of the drum to adjust the pitch produced by the drum when it is struck. The rear head of a bass drum is typically struck with a mallet-like assembly attached to a foot pedal, which causes the front head to vibrate, thus producing the sound that is heard.
Often times, however, a drummer may desire to alter other acoustic characteristics of a particular drum, perhaps due to the acoustics of the performance hall or recording studio, to compensate for the type of drum, or to achieve a unique tone. One common alteration is the reduction in both the amplitude and duration of the vibration of the front head of a bass drum in attempts to eliminate the xe2x80x98boominessxe2x80x99 normally associated with such drums, also known as dampening or muting. The dampening or muting of a drum effectively muffles the natural sound produced by the drum, thereby allowing the tone to be controlled. In some cases, it may be desirable to mute one or more of the tom toms as well.
There are several devices which have been employed in an attempt to mute a standard bass drum. One of the earliest being any one of a number of light weight materials which are placed directly inside the bass drum. The materials utilized for this purpose typically contain a significant amount of air in the interstitial spaces, such as pillows, loosely placed towels, foam rubber, and even thermal insulation material. While the placement of these materials inside of the body of the drum mute the sound to an extent, there is also a subsequent reduction in the quality of the acoustics of the drum as a result of the placement of foreign materials inside the body. Each drum is acoustically designed based on a specific diameter and height combination, which necessarily correspond to a specific internal to volume, and the placement of foreign material inside of the drum alters the internal volume, thus altering the internal acoustic characteristics of the drum, typically, in a negative manner.
In an attempt to avoid the pitfalls encountered by placing foreign material inside the body of a drum, several devices have been developed which are designed to be attached to the inner surface of the drum head to mute the drum. One device used for this purpose includes one or more flat strips of felt-like material, usually several inches wide, stretched taunt across one or, both heads of the drum. The material is usually stretched across the entire diameter of the drum head, however, placement of the material across less than the entire diameter is used to provide a lesser degree of dampening or muting. However, this device does not permit easy adjustment of the degree of muting over a continuous range. This is because both the amount of material placed over the drum head and the area of the drum head covered must be adjusted to change the degree of muting, and the amount of material is dependent on the width, thickness, and pieces of material used. In addition, this device requires at least partial removal and replacement of the drum head or heads, and it is, therefore, time consuming to make an adjustment. Because of all of the various factors that effect the degree of muting achieved, extensive trial and error may be required to arrive at the desired effect, which as noted above, may be very time consuming.
To provide more versatility in the adjustment of the muting effect, devices have been, once again, placed inside the body of the drum which include a muting element in contact with the inside of the drum head. However, as noted above, the placement of foreign material inside the body of the drum affects the internal acoustic characteristics of the drum, and is not generally desired. More significantly, placement of the device against the inside surface of the drum head permits the disassociation of the muting element from the drum head as it vibrates outward and away from the device. Thus, an inconsistent and perhaps intermittent degree of muting results depending on whether the drum is struck with greater or lesser force.
Therefore, a clear need exists for a drum muting system that is externally mounted so as not to interfere with the internal acoustic characteristics of a drum.
Additionally, a need exists for a drum muting system which provides a simple and easy means for adjusting the degree of muting over a continuous range.
There is further a need for a drum muting system that provides a consistent degree of muting regardless of the amount of force with which the drum is struck.
The present invention is directed to a drum muting system mounted on the outside of a standard drum which permits a drummer to adjust the degree of muting of the bass or other drum. Muting a drum effectively muffles the natural sound produced by the drum when it is struck, therefore, muting allows the tone of the drum to be variably controlled. In particular, the drum muting system includes a muting assembly having a muting element structured to alter the natural sound produced by the drum. The muting assembly includes an outer frame which supportably engages an inner muting assembly. The inner muting assembly includes a muting element. The inner muting assembly may also include a muting element frame and/or a support member. A drum mounting structure is provided to removably mount the system to most standard drums.
The muting assembly further includes a suspension assembly having at least one but preferably a plurality of biasing elements. The suspension assembly is structured and disposed to maintain the inner muting assembly in an operative position relative to the outer frame. The suspension assembly is further disposed to attenuate the movement of the inner muting assembly, which also results in the attenuation of movement of the drum head when the muting element is in operative engagement with the drum. The operative engagement of the muting element is defined when the muting element is oriented and maintained in substantially direct contact with the outer surface of the drum head as the drum head vibrates, such that the muting element is essentially tracking the oscillation of the drum head. Therefore, when the muting element is in operative engagement, it will at least partially absorb the vibration from the drum head when the drum is struck. Thus, vibrational energy is initially transferred from the drum head to the muting element from which it is transferred to and attenuated by the biasing elements of the suspension mechanism.
The present invention also includes an adjustment mechanism structured to adjust the effect of the muting assembly on the drum. As noted above, the muting element is structured to be in substantially direct contact with the outer surface of the drum head when oriented in operative engagement. The adjustment mechanism is utilized to force the muting element into operative engagement with the drum head and maintain it in operative engagement while the drum head vibrates. The greater the force applied to hold the muting element in operative engagement, the greater the muting effect observed, while the application of less force results in less of a muting effect. Thus, by permitting control over the amount of force applied to the muting element to maintain it in operative engagement with the drum head, the adjustment mechanism allows the degree of muting to be controlled.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a drum muting system which is completely externally mounted so as not to interfere with the internal acoustic characteristics of the drum. Further, the present invention includes an adjustment assembly which allows the degree of muting to be simply and easily adjusted over a continuous range. Additionally, the adjustment assembly of the present invention in combination with the suspension assembly provides for a consistent and continuous degree of muting regardless of the amount of force with which the drum is struck by maintaining the muting element in substantially direct contact with the outer surface of the drum head as the vibration is attenuated.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more clear when the drawings as well as the detailed description are taken into consideration.